Leg fractured - what can she ride?

[My2Angels]

My daughter, 11 years, fractured both lower leg bones and ankle in her left leg this past weekend. We will be in WDW in 19 days. She is so sad about missing our waterpark days already. What rides will she miss because of this? Her cast is from her mid thigh down to her toes. She will be in a wheelchair, as it is too hard to use crutches for all the walking we will do. Has anyone had to do this before?

 

[JillyBean1899]

My daughter, 11 years, fractured both lower leg bones and ankle in her left leg this past weekend. We will be in WDW in 19 days. She is so sad about missing our waterpark days already. What rides will she miss because of this? Her cast is from her mid thigh down to her toes. She will be in a wheelchair, as it is too hard to use crutches for all the walking we will do. Has anyone had to do this before?

I'm assuming her leg will be out straight? If so, there are a bunch of rides she won't be able to go on, because she can't bend her leg to get in or out of the ride. she might be able to stay in the chair for some, but it depends on how tight the ride vehicle is, with her foot straight out they might not be able to maneuver her onto the ride.

 

[SteveMouse]

I am 5'7 and have a leg fused at the hip, at a bit of an angle and some outward rotation.. Steps down are a bit of a problem, so Pirates, Maelstrom, Splash and Space are out. I haven't tried the Soeedway in forever. I do ride BTMRR (last car is a little easier), HM, Jungle Cruise and numerous others. Star tours and mission space work.

If her legs are short enough and she has flexibility at the waist, she will be able to get under most safety restraints/lap bars. Be very careful in HM, the doom buggies close hard and suddenly).

Soarin may be doable, but use the between the leg harness.

 

[SMD]

Are you flying? Check with the airline on their requirements for casts. They may say she has to be able to get her leg under the seat in front of her, or they may require an extra seat for her to rest her leg on.

 

[SueM in MN]

You should ask her doctor about how much 'jostling' she can take. It's possible, she may be only able to go on very 'tame' attractions or see shows.
And, depending on how long your plane trip is, the doctor may not clear her for travel less than 3 weeks after the injury.

Follow the link in my signature or look near the top of the board for the disABILITIES FAQs thread for more information.
You will need a wheelchair as you mentioned. You can bring one from home or rent one in Florida.
Post 2 on page 1 of that thread talks about renting equipment.
Post 15 talks about air travel. If you bring a wheelchair and crutches with, you can bring them to the gate and check them at no cost. They also do not count toward your baggage allowance.

These posts on page 2 of the thread should be helpful:
Posts 18-22 about transfers, getting into ride cars
Post 23 - attractions with warnings
Post 28 - attractions with stairs or moving walkways

And Post 31 on Page 3 - attractions with a long leg cast.
Depending on the size of the child and how long the leg is, a child may fit on some things an adult would not.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

If she cannot bend her leg, you should seriously consider postponing your trip. I hope you bought trip insurance.

What a shame.

 

[bopper]

Here is a post about what you can do with a broken leg:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?threadid=465756&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

 

[Stacerita]

My daughter, 11 years, fractured both lower leg bones and ankle in her left leg this past weekend. We will be in WDW in 19 days. She is so sad about missing our waterpark days already. What rides will she miss because of this? Her cast is from her mid thigh down to her toes. She will be in a wheelchair, as it is too hard to use crutches for all the walking we will do. Has anyone had to do this before?

You should check with her physician to make sure the trip will be ok for her to take. My daughter some years back broke both lower leg bones in three places and had to have a reduction down to set them. Her ortho didn't want to put her in risk of having something happen, so she had to remain home, even from school for the entire semester (it was only three weeks into the school year). We couldn't even go to a family wedding held a few weeks later. I would check with the ortho just to make sure that if she gets bumped or jostled it won't cause damage to her.

Personally I would postpone. It just wouldn't be worth it to me.

 

[Piper]

Here is a post about what you can do with a broken leg:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?threadid=465756&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

This TR is from 2003. A lot has changed since then!!

 

[Mesden84]

A lot of the rides at Disney World are very slow-moving (even for people who have serious brittle bone conditions.), while most of them are even wheelchair accessible. Some of them you can even take your wheelchair onto the ride.

 

[JillyBean1899]

A lot of the rides at Disney World are very slow-moving (even for people who have serious brittle bone conditions.), while most of them are even wheelchair accessible. Some of them you can even take your wheelchair onto the ride.

Yes, but again, the rides that can accommodate a chair are designed assuming that the person using the chair is in a "normal" sitting position, with both knees bent, not one leg propped up/out, so I wouldn't count on being able to stay in the chair for the accessible rides.

 

[SueM in MN]

Yes, but again, the rides that can accommodate a chair are designed assuming that the person using the chair is in a "normal" sitting position, with both knees bent, not one leg propped up/out, so I wouldn't count on being able to stay in the chair for the accessible rides.

And, many of the attractions that can accommodate a wheelchair are kind of a tight fit, even without an extended leg.

There are dome notes about size in post 31 on page 3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

 

[My2Angels]

Thanks to all of you for the help and advice. We did see the ortho again this week. He agreed to put her in a short cast, so that she can bend her knee, tomorrow late in the afternoon. We fly on Saturday morning. We will have challenges, but I think she will be free to do a lot more now. So relieved!

 

[JillyBean1899]

Yay!! I still would recommend getting her a wheelchair and bringing at least one crutch along for places where a wheelchair is too cumbersome. At least she'll be able to go on more things!

Hmm, wonder if the characters would sign a cast ...

 

[WheeledTraveler]

If she wants characters to sign her cast, ask the doctor to put a line on the cast showing where the cast will be cut for removal. When characters sign, ask them not to sign across that line. That way the signatures will remain whole after the cast is removed and it can still be kept as a souvenir.